4: Excerpt, "Elijah's Cup of Hope: Healing Through the Jewish Storytelling Tradition,” 2005.

4: Excerpt, "Elijah's Cup of Hope: Healing Through the Jewish Storytelling Tradition,” 2005.

“The Magician” ends with the couple realizing that their guest was none other than Elijah the Prophet, a biblical character known for visiting in disguise to reveal the faith and morality of those he visits. During the Passover seder, it is traditional to pour a glass of wine for Elijah, and open the door to welcome him.

Suggested Activity: Students should read the excerpt from “Elijah’s Cup of Hope” and reread the end of “The Magician,” beginning with the Magician’s arrival to the seder. By the end of the story, the couple is sure the Prophet Elijah has visited them. Why is the couple so certain that their visitor was Elijah? Ask students: Do they think the visitor in the story was the Prophet Elijah? Who else might he have been? What is the purpose of the Magician’s visit? What moral does he impart to the couple? To the readers? What does it mean that the story is set during Passover, a time when Elijah is traditionally expected to visit? 

The article talks about how Elijah’s name means justice and mercy. Does the Magician in the story show these virtues? How? How does this tale “teach faith and restore hope?” 

Source: Peninnah Schram, "Elijah's Cup of Hope: Healing Through the Jewish Storytelling Tradition." Storytelling, Self, Society 1, no. 2 (2005): 103-17, accessed online.